Safe Havens
by AnimeFan202
Summary: What if Digimon wasn't a kid's story? Join Sora as she's pulled into a more twisted, much darker Digital World. (Eventual Taiora) (Dark Gennai)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys… I want to apologize to anyone who was still reading Lost Ideas. I really hate to permanently kill a story, but I have officially taken it down. I thought I had something when I started it. But it felt like I had to sit down and rethink the plot before every new chapter I put up. And eventually, it just started looking a storyline that was already covered in the Digimon anime. It got to the point where I **_**hoped**_** no one was reading it. It just wasn't working. **

**If you're new to my profile… Welcome to my new story! The plans I've got for this one are vastly different, so with any luck, I won't run into any of the same problems. That said, let's get on with chapter one. **

**Chapter One: An Unusual Start**

In no way was Sora above questioning Fate. She liked to believe that things happened for a reason, even if she didn't always understand why. She could accept that some things would always be out of her realm of comprehension. But sometimes, she just wished Fate could be a little more… considerate.

For instance, if she was going to have a handsome boy ready to whisk her away on some magical adventure… Well, who was she to complain? But did he really have to appear at a time when she was sunburned, exhausted, and barely dressed?

It had been a long, long day. Thrilling and adrenaline-filled, but long. So she couldn't imagine what had possibly woken her from her dead sleep at 2:30 that morning. And then she saw the boy standing over her.

The fact that she simply stared up at him from where she lay in bed attested to her grogginess.

The boy was glancing over the framed photos on her bureau. When he turned back to her, he smiled. "Hey. Glad to see you're finally awake. Sora, right?"

"Who the hell are you?" She felt it was an appropriate answer.

His grin only seemed to widen. "My name is Tai." He paused slightly. "Do you always dress like that?"

She slowly propped herself up in bed and ran a hand through her reddish-brown hair which had been cut short enough so that she didn't have to worry about putting it up, but not so short that she looked like a boy. She glanced down to see she was in her sports bra and extremely short UnderArmour shorts- her usual attire before she put on her soccer uniform. Sora yawned. Two hours had clearly not been long enough to sleep off her fatigue.

Long was an understatement, really. Her day had begun with an early-morning run. A 5:30 morning run with her team mates. Saki, the team captain, considered it both a bonding experience and a teamwork exercise. And as much as Sora and her other team mates groaned over the rigorous training schedule their captain had put together, they were grateful for Saki's determination and passion for the sport. Granted, they were only in junior high, but many of them, Sora included, were in their last year and took it seriously. Unfortunately, the coach appointed by the school did not share this love. Clearly, he had been in it for the extra money. The girls had taken it upon themselves to rise above his lack of dedication.

And rise they had. All the way up to the district finals. The tournament had started at seven that morning and if you continued to win, as Sora's team had, didn't end until ten that night.

It had been the best day of her soccer-playing career. High on their win, Sora's team had taken a run through the city to the pond in the woods. There they had jumped in, not a care in the world. And that feeling of euphoria… 'amazing' didn't even begin to cover it.

Though it was the middle of June, the school year almost over, the water had been freezing. The shock had given them all enough energy to run home, where Sora had collapsed- never had there been a more accurate use of the word- onto her bed and promptly fallen asleep.

And now here she was, just two hours later, with a boy staring down at her. She continued to stare up at his tan face. He looked athletic, which was always a plus. Vaguely, she wondered if his hair always stuck up like that or if perhaps he had been recently shaken awake too. The way he continued to smile at her was enough to send a tingle down her spine.

She sat up, suddenly defensive. "It's 100 degrees out, 2:30 in the morning, and _my_ room. I think I'm entitled to wear- or not wear- anything I want." Her words were undermined only slightly by the way she had gotten out of bed to rifle through her drawers, quickly slipping into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

The boy- Tai- hadn't lost his smile throughout the whole ordeal. He held out his hand. "Great. Are you ready now?"

Sora wasn't sure why she did what she did next. She figured she must have still been half-asleep. But she took his hand. And they were gone.

**Review please!**

**So, I managed to make the first chapter simultaneously short and slow… I kind of wanted to lay down some background, I guess, because they won't be back to Earth for a while.**

**I don't own Digimon! The only thing I own right now is the idea and Saki… who probably won't be making another appearance. ^^'**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to **Guest **for reviewing the first chapter and anyone who's followed or favorited it so far. I know the first chapter was really short. This one is a little longer. **

**Chapter Two: New Surroundings**

The strangest realizations occur when the impossible is happening. The second Sora took the strange boy's hand, a small device clipped to his waist began to glow. This was when she noticed her new companion was fully dressed. So while her room was disappearing around her, transporting her to another world, Sora came to the conclusion that Tai probably had not just woken up like she had.

A million images a second whizzed past her line of sight. She didn't really have time to take it all in before the spectacle was over.

She stumbled slightly when solid ground reappeared under her feet, not releasing her grip on Tai's hand. When she regained her footing, she looked up, perplexed, into Tai's smiling face. He let go of her and made a wide, sweeping motion with his arm.

"Welcome home, Sora."

**…**

Her first thought was that this place didn't look like anyone's home, least of all hers. Granted, it was the middle of the night, so she couldn't exactly see everything, but it was clear enough that they were in the middle of a forest.

Tai led her forward along a path she could just barely make out, though he seemed to know it by heart. For a few minutes, they were met with no sound but that of the crickets. But soon Sora could hear human voices. They were too far away for her to distinguish any actual words.

What caught her attention first was the glow of the fire, for the conversation had stopped the second she had walked into view. Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, Sora spotted the other kids seated around the fire.

There were four of them, all varying in age and appearance. Seated closest to the path was the only girl. She was younger and beamed at the two when they walked into the clearing. She had short brown hair, and something about her eyes made Sora glance back at her guide who was smiling around at their audience.

On the far side sat two blond boys, and Sora would have bet anything they were brothers. The younger of the two was smiling openly at her, stretching up from his kneeling position to see better. The older boy seemed perfectly content to remain partially masked by the fire. He was taller than his brother, but of the two, he was harder to see. He flashed her a brief smile when her gaze focused on him, but she could see the calculating side of him, too. He was observing her silently.

Sora wouldn't admit to being intimidated, but she did move on without too much hesitation. The last boy didn't even look up at their arrival, but not necessarily because he was unhappy to see them. He looked preoccupied, that's all. He was a year or two younger than Sora and focused intently on a laptop in front of him. He continued to tap away at his keyboard as the introductions were made.

She followed Tai a little closer to the fire. "Sora, this is my little sister Kari."

The little girl smiled even wider. "It's nice to meet you!"

"My name's TK!" the smallest boy piped up. "And this is my big brother Matt."

All she got from Matt was another brief smile and a nod before Tai turned to the last boy. "Hey, Izzy, aren't you gonna say hello?"

The boy with the computer finally looked up, seeming surprised to find that they had company. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he amended politely, shaking Sora's hand.

"Guys, this is Sora," Tai finished.

"Hi," she greeted, looking around at the odd bunch. She wasn't usually shy, so she blamed her timidity on confusion. She could practically _taste _the excitement radiating off of the younger two, but she couldn't imagine why. Were they expecting something from her?

"Come and sit down," Tai urged, and she joined the other kids on the ground, Tai on one side, Izzy on the other.

Despite Matt's coldness, the atmosphere was comfortable. Though she had just met these kids, Sora felt an odd sense of belonging. She couldn't explain it, but sitting here with these five just felt… _right_.

"Now that you're here, we can toast marshmallows!" TK exclaimed happily.

"We've been waiting for you for a long time, Sora," Kari explained sweetly.

"Oh?" She was trying to be as polite as possible, but the weren't making any sense. "Is this some sort of summer camp?"

"Sort of," TK replied, spearing a marshmallow with a stick. "'Cept we never have to go home!"

"This _is_ your home, TK," Tai corrected.

"The cabins are over there," Kari said, turning and pointing farther on into the darkness. "Now that you're here, I'll have a room mate again!"

There was silence for a moment as Sora tried to let the events of the past twenty minutes (Really? Had it really only been twenty minutes?) sink in. What was going on? Who were these strange kids? Where in the world was she?

"Are you okay?" Sora looked up. It was Kari again. Though the other kids were still there, the two girls had a strange sort of privacy. TK was chattering cheerfully about something to his brother, who was nodding politely but clearly only half-listening. Tai had moved to lean over Izzy's shoulder, trying to make sense of what was on the laptop screen. "You're awfully quiet."

Sora entertained the thought of smiling and lying, but the little girl looked so concerned it was hard to be anything but genuine in return. She leaned down closer and whispered, "Kari, where _are_ we?"

"Didn't Tai tell you? We're in the Digital World, of course."

Sora's stomach did a small flip. Was it possible that they really weren't on Earth anymore? Kari was still a little kid, she tried to reassure herself. Maybe this 'Digital World' was just a game they were playing.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Matt ignoring his brother completely now, watching her carefully. Sora looked down, choosing not to say anything… until she spotted the strange creature raiding the bag of marshmallows. She shrieked in spite of herself. "What _is_ that?"

The other kids all turned to look, thought they didn't seem nearly as surprised. Matt quickly chased the strange being away from their food, and TK answered, "That's just Numemon. They're usually pretty nice. I guess they can kinda be a nuisance sometimes though…"

"A… Numemon?" she repeated.

"They're a species of Digimon," Izzy supplied. "That's shortened from Digital Monster. Digimon are the main form of life here in the Digital World."

Well, that settled it. Either she had gone insane, or she really had traveled to another world. For the third time in such a short time span, Sora focused on Matt's close observation of her. What was he waiting for? She chose to take a leaf out of his book and held back any thoughts she had.

For the next hour or so, she had to admit that she was having a pretty good time. As long as she blocked out her confusion and the bizarreness of the situation, she found that she really enjoyed the company of the other children.

And then another twist was thrown into the mix.

The laughter and conversation slowly quieted as the old man walked into the clearing. Sora could feel a sort of reverence from all of her new companions, but Tai was the only one who got to his feet.

However, when the man stopped, it was _her_ that he addressed directly. "Hello, Sora. I'm glad you've finally joined our little family."

His words were kind and grandfatherly, but there was something about Tai's stiff behavior and Matt's darkened eyes that made her shift in her seat. She smiled anyway, thought, and said with manners that would have made her mother proud, "Thank you so much for having me. Um, but how do you know my name?"

The old man chuckled. "We have been waiting for you for a long time. But that is a story for another day. You may call me Gennai. It is late. I'm sure Kari would be more than happy to show you to your quarters."

He nodded to the group as a whole and began to walk away, making it all too clear they were dismissed.

**…**

The way Gennai had called them 'quarters' one would have thought the kids were staying in a mansion. In truth, it was little more than a shabby cabin, just like the ones Sora had seen at every summer camp she'd ever been to.

But she didn't say anything like this to Kari. Gennai was right about one thing. The girl was thrilled to be giving this little tour.

So Sora nodded politely and tried to look happy to be there despite the fact that she still had _no idea what was going on_. And when the two got situated, she found it nearly impossible to fall asleep.

"Kari?" she whispered. "You said something about having a room mate… again. Was there… another girl?"

"Mmm-hmm," she mumbled sleepily. "Her name was Mimi."

Across the room, the younger girl was quickly falling asleep, but her words were keeping Sora wide awake. "What happened to her?"

"Mmm? I dunno… One day… She just wasn't here anymore."

Sora would have loved to continue questioning this mysterious disappearance, but Kari was already out.

**…**

They were woken the next morning by the shrill sound of a trumpet. Sora jerked awake and into a sitting position, disoriented. _Where was she?_

It all came flooding back when she spotted Kari on the other side of the room, yawning and stretching and not seeming the least bit alarmed by their rude wake-up call. Of course, for her, this was routine.

In her own personal wardrobe, Sora found an extra set of clothes. A plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Casual clothing like all the other kids wore. With all the other strange going-ons, she barely questioned that the clothes fit her perfectly. Sora had already decided to follow the lead of the other kids and hopefully make some sense of what was going on along the way.

And she had to admit- it was all too easy to just go about the day and pretend she was in the middle of some normal scenario. It really did feel a little like summer camp.

She followed around after Kari, doing mundane things like drawing water, helping prepare food in a little, fairly-modern kitchen, and cleaning their cabin until it shone. The girls ate meals with the rest of the kids at a dining pavilion and, just like they had at the campfire, the six settled into each other's company almost too well.

There were little quirks, of course. Sora met other Digimon throughout the morning, and it threw her for a loop every single time. (Each time, Kari would just laugh, telling her she'd get used to it.) And she didn't miss that Tai would disappear off to Gennai's personal quarters while all the other kids were busy with their chores.

But the strangest part of her day by far came after lunch. Tai led the other five out of their dining hall and to a secluded, grassy area. Sora followed suit, bewildered when the others all took up a kneeling position. Tai led them through calming breathing exercises in an odd sort of meditation. He smiled at her when the others closed their eyes.

"We do this every day," he explained quietly, "as a way of finding our inner selves."

It didn't sound like the sort of activity a bunch of kids would partake in, especially the younger ones. She must have seemed skeptical because he went on, "It's important. Our energy keeps this world alive."

Sora closed her eyes too, if only to please Tai, but she didn't have a clue what she was looking for. And she didn't miss the hypocrisy when Tai got up and left. If this daily soul-searching adventure was so important, where was he going?

Quietly, she rose from her spot on the grass, and no one so much as opened their eyes. Sora tiptoed away, leaving the meditation circle behind. Luckily, Gennai's house wasn't very far away, and she was able to follow Tai's tracks with ease.

As she got closer, Sora could hear the old man speaking, but she couldn't make out his words. She gathered up her courage, walked right up the pathway, and knocked on the front door. Immediately, the conversation inside cut off.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you with the other kids?" Gennai demanded. His words came out much harsher than she'd expected, and Sora found herself glancing uncomfortably between him and Tai.

Speaking of… She had thought something seemed a little off about Tai the previous night when he'd essentially jumped to attention the moment Gennai had made an appearance, though he'd spent the evening laughing and having a good time like any other kid. The way he looked now just reinforced the thought that something was wrong. (Gennai's presence?) Tai was standing stiffly, and the look in his eyes… 'faraway' didn't even begin to describe it. With a start, she realized she couldn't discern his pupils from his irises.

But, disturbing as Tai's appearance was, the old man was still waiting for an answer.

"I want some answers," she decided on, sounding none-too-friendly herself. "What _is_ this place? When do I get to go home?"

Gennai's frown deepened. "You're here for your own good, Sora. That's all I can tell you for now."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?! I want to go home!" The volume of her voice was rising steadily, and she knew she sounded like a whiny child, but she didn't care.

Gennai's eyes had darkened. "I was afraid you would react like this. Tai." The boy snapped to attention. "I think it would be best if Sora spent a little time with our other… guests."

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon.**

**For anyone who's worrying about Joe and Mimi's absence… (: They'll show up in chapter three. **


	3. Chapter 3

**So of all the updates I'm currently writing, this one wasn't the one I planned to finish first… But I've found that when it comes to my writing, I can never trust my predictions…**

**A little more of an explanation is given in this chapter, but the real meaty stuff won't be until the next one. Or possibly the chapter after that, depending on how long I plan on making the next one…**

**Thank you to **Guest, Sora Loves Rain, Supershooter, **and **Digimon fan FTW **for reviewing chapter two!**

**Chapter Three: Jailbirds**

Sora wasn't sure what was wrong with Tai, but he clearly wasn't in any state of mind to be reasoned with. Then again, she was quickly learning that she was in no condition to be reasoning with him.

Her thoughts were muddled, and her tongue felt especially thick. Had they drugged her? Was there something hidden in the food? Was that why none of the other kids questioned the bizarreness of this all?

"Where are we going?"

"…"

"…Tai?"

"…"

"Why are you doing this?"

"…"

Even when she could summon up the words, he didn't respond. He never even looked at her. His hand was clamped tightly around her arm, but he needn't have bothered. The moment he'd made contact, all of her muscles had turned to jelly.

They had walked deep into the woods, leaving everything else far behind, by the time she found something to break him out of his trance. They had reached the edge of the forest and had half-walked, half-slid down an embankment strewn with loose dirt and pebbles. It had not been the most graceful maneuver of her life, and the result had been nearly taking Tai down with her every time she slipped.

The rough jostling had brought a necklace bouncing up from under Tai's collar. This was what she focused on as they continued walking on more even ground.

It was a simple, thin chain, almost undetectable. Each side snaked down to form a clasp. The two clasps were fixed on a small rectangle. The focal point of the necklace looked as if it was made of glass yet not quite as fragile. Engraved in the center was an oddly-shaped heart.

Sora fixated on this necklace. It had an odd pull that she couldn't explain. Then again, there wasn't much she _could_ explain about this place.

"What is that?" She brought a hand up to the design, and the second her fingers made contact Tai faltered, his grip on her arm loosening slightly.

A look of confusion invaded his eyes. "W-what?"

"Tai?" But she had pulled back at the sound of his voice, and his expression clouded over again once the contact was gone. He roughly pulled her forward again, and her heart sank. She'd lost any chance of escape with her hesitation.

Not that there was anywhere she could have gone. They had arrived. Tai led her into a small stone building. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, and once she could see, she immediately wished they hadn't.

They were in what looked to be a very primitive jail. Both walls were lined with cells. When they walked in, they were met by silence. But a second later a cry rose up from her right, and she saw something get to their feet a little further down on her left.

Tai led her past the crying girl to the cell across from the boy. He was taller than either of them, but he seemed to slump in defeat when Tai shoved her into the cell across from his and locked the door. The girl's wails only increased in volume when Tai walked back out, unaffected by any of it, still looking as if he was in a trance.

"So is that it?" Sora hated the way her voice shook, but the atmosphere increased her own sense of hopelessness. These iron bars were one more obstacle between herself and a way home.

"Probably not for you," the boy across from her said, turning next to the crying girl. "It's gonna be okay, Mimi…"

His words sounded half-hearted, and they didn't little to cheer up Mimi.

"How can you be so positive?" she sobbed. "Now that they've got her, too, our chances of getting out of here are… are…" She couldn't seem to get the words out. The boy sighed.

"What is going on in this crazy place?" Sora asked. She couldn't explain it, but now that Tai was gone, her head seemed to be clearing. "How long have you two been in here?"

The boy shrugged despondently. "It's hard to say… After a while you lose track of time. But you probably won't be in here long," he rushed to assure her. "It's your first time… Gennai probably just wants to teach you a lesson."

Mimi had finally stopped crying, but her posture hadn't changed. "I just want to go home… I never asked to be sucked into this crazy world!"

Sora felt bad ignoring the other girl, (she could relate, after all; she felt the exact same way.) but Mimi still seemed beyond reason, and she needed answers. "Who _is_ Gennai? How does he get away with imprisoning kids like this?"

"Who's going to punish him? The nine of us are the only humans here, and Gennai kind of rules this place. …I'm Joe, by the way. And that's Mimi."

"I'm Sora. And I'm still not sure I understand… I don't even know how I got here. One minute there was this strange boy in my room, the next…"

"That's the power of the crests," Joe said.

"They must have yours." Mimi finally seemed to be thinking logically. "It was the same with me. One day, Tai just showed up, saying he'd been looking for me for a long time. The next thing I knew, I was here! It was like something clouded my brain. I couldn't even understand what had happened until it was too late. Oh… Sometimes I really hate Tai!"

"Now, Mimi," Joe said reasonably, "you've got to remember, Tai's a victim, too."

Sora looked back and forth between the two, trying to make sense of their conversation. "What are you saying? Gennai is using these 'crests' to brainwash us?"

"Sort of," Joe confirmed. "But to be honest… we don't completely understand it ourselves. Think about it. Normally, if some stranger was dragging you to jail, wouldn't you be fighting him off the whole way?"

"Yeah, but… It was almost like something was stopping me," Sora remembered. "I could barely form a sentence."

"Tai must have had your crest. Gennai's had him under his thumb for so long that he's given more… responsibilities. He probably lost the ability to fight back."

"And are we? Fighting back?"

Joe bit his lip. He seemed about ready to answer when the door to the jail banged open, silencing him. Another new Digimon entered. It was gray and looked like a strange cross between a rabbit and a dog. It's cruel smirk was impossible to miss, and it balanced three trays of food.

One by one, he roughly threw down one tray in each of their cells, causing each little section of slop to splatter and contaminate one another. He snickered at Sora's look of distaste and taunted, "Enjoy your stay," before turning and leaving the three alone once more.

Mimi sighed and Joe explained, "That was Gazimon. There's a whole crew of them. They're responsible for supervising shower times and distributing meals."

Sora retrieved her spoon from where it had flown to the other side of the cell. Her tray was split into three sections with what looked like watery versions of food. Yogurt, soup, and mashed potatoes maybe? It was impossible to tell for sure.

Well, she'd just have to endure it for now. She'd spent the past seven years forcing down less-than-appetizing school lunches, hadn't she? And these provisions hadn't killed Joe or Mimi yet.

"That's the last we'll see of anyone for the night?" she clarified, trying to swallow without really tasting.

Once again, Joe hesitated before replying, "Gennai doesn't usually send anyone after dinner. The trays get collected in the morning when they bring breakfast."

She didn't miss that he avoided answering her question directly, but she let it go. Her cell was cold and dark, but she tried to focus on bits and pieces. A little bit at a time… Things only got depressing when she tried to look at the big picture.

_It could be worse,_ she kept repeating to herself. _Sure, the light above your head won't stop flickering, but you could have no light at all. Yeah, the bed looks stiff and hard, but it can't be any worse than the bunks at camp, right? And the food… Well, at least they aren't starving you._

But the sound of Mimi's renewed sniffling was making it a lot harder to be optimistic.

There wasn't much else to do once she'd choked down dinner. She could definitely see how this could be considered a warning. After all, outside she'd had a warm place to sleep, been fed well and surrounded by friendly faces. It sounded like a good incentive to just go with the flow and play along. Of course, things changed a little when you added in a crazy, kidnapping, mind-controlling old man who was orchestrating this whole ordeal.

It was Sora's turn to sigh. Really, there was nothing left for her to do but go to sleep. She just wanted the night to be over with.

"What time do they turn the lights off?"

"They don't," Mimi answered apathetically.

There was silence for a long time. Eventually, Sora did craw up onto the cot shoved against the wall. The mattress was hard, and the blanket provided little warmth, but she would endure it, just for the night. She didn't have the heart to consider that this imprisonment could last longer than that.

The silence continued for what had to be several hours. Sora was just drifting off when she first heard the noise. The softened 'clang' of something being gently lowered to the cold stone floor.

Her eyes popped open, but the rest of her body froze. From the other cells she heard Mimi sigh and saw Joe sit up a little straighter. She strained her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.

A moment later the sound of soft footsteps reached her ears. Just a few more seconds and then someone walked into the room. …Matt?

She remained still, but her mind was racing. Matt had seemed a little different ever since she'd gotten here, but who in their right mind would sneak into a jail?

His eyes scanned the room, but he didn't linger on any one place until he was sure it was safe. Then he turned to Joe.

"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, you know… Another day, another battle won and all that…" But he didn't sound very triumphant.

"I know…" Matt's tone suggested that he knew exactly what Joe really meant- that they were starting to lose hope, locked up in here day after day. "We're working on it. With any luck, you two won't be in here much longer. Of course… this little setback made things even more difficult." Sora didn't miss the glance in her direction. "She won't be in here much longer, though. Gennai just wants to give her a warning, put her in her place. Things should start to calm down soon… and then we strike."

Sora strained to her ears to catch every word. It sounded like they were planning some sort of breakout. But even more obvious was the fact that this was nothing new. Judging by Joe and Mimi's nearly apathetic reactions, Sora was willing to be Matt's arrival in the jail was nothing unheard of. Some sort of daily update?

"But right now… He's already suspicious. I can't stay long."

"Right. But, Matt, about the other thing… Any more luck finding them?"

She heard his sigh, saw him shake his head. "No. But we'll keep at it." He got to his feet. "I'll keep you posted, but for tonight, I'd better get back in case Gennai decides to check on the rest of us."

"Good luck," she heard Mimi murmur, sounding discouraged. Their eyes followed Matt as he retreated to the back where Sora had discerned some sort of shower room was housed. She heard that odd sound again. Was he getting in and out through some sort of grate in the floor? After a moment, Joe and Mimi both slumped down. Their lifeline was gone.

But, suddenly, Sora wasn't feeling quite so pessimistic. There was someone else here- someone who wasn't locked up- who wasn't a mindless zombie. What an interesting discovery. Already a plan was starting to form in Sora's mind for when she got out of here…

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I have finally returned to this story!**

**Thank you **Guest **and **Guest **for reviewing chapter three. Both of you requested that I update more frequently… Yeah… Let's… Let's just not talk about that. There's no excuse. I know.**

**Chapter Four: Allies**

The remainder of her first night in jail was spent drifting in and out of a restless sleep. When Sora woke up for good the next morning, she spent the first few minutes staring at the drab gray ceiling, disoriented. The last dream she could remember was a choppy retelling of her last day on Earth. Saki's stern face floated in front of her eyes. She couldn't believe it had only been a single day since she'd been playing in that soccer tournament…

The sound of harsh clanging—metal against metal—made her sit up. It was this sound that woke up Mimi and Joe, who were both much more accustomed to sleeping in the jail. Gazimon was back with breakfast, and he didn't look any more pleasant than he had the night before. Or maybe it was a different Gazimon. She couldn't really tell.

He tossed their breakfast trays into their cells and collected the ones from dinner. The prisoners ate as he slammed the door behind him. An occasional yawn was the only thing to break the silence.

"What happens now?" Sora asked once they were all finished.

"We wait," Mimi replied despondently. Their lives were now measured by the arrival of meals. It was sad, yes, but at least Joe was _trying_ to remain optimistic. That awful, defeated expression had not left Mimi's face for so much as a second since Sora had joined them. The other girl sighed yet again. "Gazimon will be back with lunch eventually…"

"Okay," Sora said slowly, trying not to get too frustrated with the other captives. "But what about Matt? What is he planning?"

Joe looked around nervously, making Sora wonder if the building was bugged. She hoped not. It seemed clear enough that Matt was her only hope of getting back home.

"He visits us every few days with an update on how everyone else is doing," Joe whispered. "Matt got locked up in here early on, too. But he learned how to play the game and has been flying under the radar ever since."

"The game?" Sora asked.

"Listen, Sora." Joe leaned forward, his tone suddenly urgent. "When you get out, you have to play along, too. Do everything Gennai says, but don't forget who you are. If you and Matt work together, maybe we'll finally be able to get out of here."

He quickly shut his mouth at the sound of footsteps outside. A second later, the door swung open and Gennai walked in. Mimi and Joe immediately stood, at attention. Sora remained seated, but she got the feeling that Gennai didn't usually make personal appearances like this. He had henchmen to deal with the prisoners.

In fact, Gennai didn't spare Joe and Mimi so much as a glance. He headed straight for her cell. Sora stood too when she heard a key click in the lock. It was almost funny that this frail-looking old man held so much power over their lives. Standing up, she was a full head taller than he was.

But the problem was, he did have power over them. Sora had felt that grogginess returning to her as he got closer. She struggled to think clearly through the fog in her head. She could see that weird necklace Tai had been wearing hanging around his neck. Joe must have been right. This was how he'd been controlling everyone.

The only upside to this situation was that the mental fog certainly made it easier to "play along."

"Your night in here seems to have done you some good," Gennai told her as he eased the door open, sounding sadistically cheerful. "Are you ready to work with the other children? It's all for the good of this world, you know."

"Yes. You're right." The words felt thick in her mouth, almost like she could choke on them if she didn't spit them out. "I was being selfish before. I'm sorry."

Gennai smiled. "Good." He stepped aside to let her out and then placed a hand on her arm to lead her out of the jail. That light touch was the equivalent of adding weights to her legs. Sora felt even more sluggish.

She was still aware of the way Joe slumped as they passed his cell, and when they reached the door, Mimi snapped. Sora heard a high-pitched scream as they left the other two behind.

"Aaahhh! Let us out of here, you crazy old man!" Mimi screeched. "You hear me?! Let! Me! _Out_!"

**…**

The other kids were all in the middle of chores when Sora made it back to their camp area. Gennai released her and she dutifully joined Kari out by the laundry station.

"Sora!" The younger girl beamed at her. "You came back! I mean, Tai said you would, but Mimi never did, so…"

Sora hesitated. How much did Kari know, she wondered? Was she aware that her former roommate was locked up, withering away in prison? How far did "playing along" go? Was Matt, the coldest one of the group, the only one she could trust? Sure, Izzy was a little weird, and Tai was most certainly brainwashed, but TK and Kari seemed so young and innocent. Didn't they deserve some kind of warning?

But no… She couldn't trust the younger ones not to go running to their older brothers. And maybe Matt could hush TK up before he did any damage, but if Kari leaked any escape plans—that is, if Matt even had any—to Tai… That could be disastrous. No, the two seemed to believe the "campers" were one big happy family. For now, Sora would stay quiet, until she knew more.

"Of course I did," Sora answered, trying not to sound or feel fake. None of this mess was Kari's fault. "I like your company. And everyone seems really nice…"

Kari smiled and they returned to work. When the last shirt was hung up to air dry, Kari turned back to her. Her smile seemed a little melancholy now. "Thank you for trying so hard. I know it's kinda hard at first. I missed home a lot, too. But you'll start to like it here. I promise."

Sora stared at her quietly for a moment. This little girl was more perceptive than she'd given her credit for. At last she said, "Kari… How did you and Tai get here?"

Kari thought for a long time. Then she blinked and said, "Huh. I can't really remember. I just know that it was really dark. Tai was leaning over my bed and shaking me… He said we had to leave, right away."

"And you just went with him?" Sora wasn't sure why she was so surprised. Hadn't she done the same thing? Maybe Kari had had some sort of spell cast on her, too?

Kari didn't seem to understand why she was so surprised, either. "Of course I did. Tai has always known what to do."

Well, that did make more sense. Tai wouldn't need to brainwash his own sister. She already trusted him enough to follow him anywhere. Even across dimensions.

"One minute we were in our room, and the next we were here," Kari continued. "It was kinda lonely for a while, but then Matt and Izzy and TK showed up. And now you're here Sora."

Interesting. But Kari didn't seem to understand that there was a darker side to all this. She wondered how Gennai had managed to get such a hold on Tai. Were those 'crests' really that powerful? Whenever hers was around, it seemed to zap all of her willpower, but it wasn't so extreme that someone would be able to convince her to kidnap other kids.

They went on with the rest of their duties, even that weird meditation circle that Tai was apparently exempt from. She was certain that this strange ritual was directly connected to Gennai's hold on them, but she wasn't sure how. And more importantly, she wasn't sure how to actively resist it. The last time she had, she'd been caught and thrown in jail. And if that happened again, she was sure she'd be spending more than a night with Joe, Mimi, and the Gazimon for company.

Whenever they were all together—meditating, eating meals—Sora tried to avoid looking at Matt directly, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Tai. When he was away from Gennai, he just seemed so… normal. He talked and laughed with the other kids. He was charismatic. He even got Izzy to look up from his laptop screen. Sure, Kari was young and a little impressionable, but Sora could understand how Tai might have convinced all these other kids to abandon their worries and actually enjoy their time here.

It wasn't until the group split to go to their separate cabins that Sora noticed the small frown on Kari's face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as the two settled in to sleep.

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier… About the night me and Tai left home. I don't know why I didn't remember it before…"

"What?"

"The night we left… Tai… He looked scared."

Sora lay back and stared at the ceiling, processing that. She heard Kari's breathing even out, but she couldn't fall asleep. Maybe the manipulation with the crests had come later? Had Gennai threatened Tai?

She glanced over at Kari again, making sure she was asleep. When she was satisfied, Sora slowly got out of bed and slipped back into her day clothes. She left the cabin as quietly as possible and darted into the woods. A short dirt path brought her to the boys' cabin.

She tiptoed up to the little window and peered inside. Through the darkness, she could see a few rows of beds, but only three of them were occupied. Wait, three?

She heard the sound of the cabin door slowly closing, not waking any of the other boys, and poked her head around the corner. It was a very familiar scene. After all, she'd just gone through the same motions not five minutes ago. Matt was sneaking out.

Sora considered calling out to him but stopped herself. She wasn't sure yet how she felt about Matt, but she knew Joe wanted them to team up. The real question was whether or not Matt would accept her help with whatever he was planning.

She waited until he was nearly hidden by the trees until sneaking after him, trying to stay out of sight. For the first half of the journey, she thought he was going back to the jail, but the plot thickened when he passed that pathway. Sora followed him through a part of the woods she hadn't seen yet. She had to remind herself to keep her eyes on him so she didn't get lost. It was just more woods, anyway.

Until it wasn't. The forest opened up very suddenly, and Matt walked forward to stand on the banks of a river. Sora didn't leave the edge of the woods, continuing to watch him. He seemed to be waiting for something.

There was a rustling sound a little further down. Sora craned her neck, but it was too dark to see. Matt turned toward the sound, and Sora tried to sink farther back into the shadows.

"Gabumon?" he called. "That you?"

Sora held her breath as a strange, horned creature poked its head out of the bushes. Another Digimon.

She watched as Matt's expression melted into a warm smile. Sora thought the bipedal wolf-unicorn-thing looked kind of intimidating, but Matt knelt down and enveloped it in a hug. She wouldn't have been more shocked if he'd stripped naked and jumped in the river. Matt had come across as being very distant. She'd assumed the only one he'd ever show any affection towards was his little brother, and often even TK didn't get that luxury.

"I've missed you, Matt!" the Digimon—Gabumon—exclaimed.

"I've missed you, too," Matt told him. "I'm sorry I haven't shown up lately. Things have been kind of crazy. First Joe got locked up for good trying to get Mimi out, and then a new girl showed up…"

Gabumon pulled away suddenly. Sora couldn't make out his expression through Matt's shadow, but she thought he sounded scared. "Another human? You mean…"

"The last one, yeah." Matt's tone of voice was somewhere between frustration and defeat. "For a while there, I really thought I was getting through to Tai."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Matt," Gabumon consoled. "It's not your fault. Gennai's hold on him is too strong. Besides, all hope's not lost. I still believe you will find a way to get everyone home."

"I hope so." She saw his fist clench. "I was so stupid! And to think I dragged TK into this mess with me…"

"Hey," Gabumon intervened. "We've talked about this before. What's passed is past. If we're going to get anywhere, we have to focus on the future. First things first. How are Mimi and Joe holding up?"

Sora was getting impatient. She could barely follow their conversation. All she'd really gleaned was that Matt and she really were on the same page. He was trying to get home, too. She shuffled her feet, trying to stay warm. The result was a soft sound she was sure Matt wouldn't hear. But Gabumon's ears perked up.

"There's someone else here!" He turned to look in her direction, though Sora suspected she was still obscured by the trees.

Matt was on his feet in seconds. Sora stepped out from her hiding spot before he decided to do something drastic and tried to stand tall as he glared at her. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

Gabumon peered out from behind him, and Sora realized what was so strange about this scene. The Digimon was the one with the sharp horn and claws, but Matt was standing as if _Gabumon _was the one who needed to be shielded from harm.

"Who is this?" he asked. "Is this the eighth child?"

"Yes," Sora answered both questions. "My name is Sora."

"What are you doing here?" Matt repeated. His glare was relentless.

"Last night," she said. "You told Joe you were looking for something. Will whatever you were looking for bring us home? Can I help?"

Matt was quiet for a moment. Wary. Gabumon looked between the two of them before prodding, "Come on, Matt. We could use all the help we can get."

Matt gave her one last staredown before caving. "Fine. Take a seat. I'll fill you in."

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I've been on a roll since summer vacation started. Another chapter up already! That's like some kind of record for me. Of course, I'll be starting my new job soon, so my amount of free time will decrease… But I'm gonna try to keep up with my stories as much as possible before school starts and I have to make time for that, too.**

**Chapter Five: Vulnerable**

Sora sat down and waited for the other two to settle in.

"Matt, you want me to gather some firewood?"

"No," the boy answered, sitting down across from her. "We can't afford to attract attention with a fire. Besides, we won't be here very long."

She watched him expectantly as Gabumon sat down too. Sora was ready for some answers, but she wasn't even sure what questions to ask first. Luckily, Matt made that decision for her.

"This world is made up of bundles of data—the lost hopes, wishes, ideas, and dreams—from our world. But just because everything here is digital, that doesn't mean it isn't very real. If something happens to you here, it'll be just as painful and permanent as it would be if it happened to you on Earth."

"So this really is another world…" She had suspected as much, but it was still mind-numbing to have it confirmed. "…Made of people's hopes and dreams?"

Matt nodded. "Among other things. This world is almost like a separate layer of our own. Gennai has found a way to rip through that layer, and he's using our energy to keep this world stable."

Gabumon sighed. "Unfortunately, 'stable' isn't what it used to be. Gennai is keeping this world right on the verge of falling into chaos. It's the worst kind of irony, really. The DigiDestined were meant to _save_ this world."

"DigiDestined?" Sora repeated.

"Long ago," Matt explained, "it was prophesied that eight humans would arrive to save this world from destruction. And now that you're here, Gennai has captured every single one."

"Okay, but… How do you know all this, Matt?" She didn't doubt him, exactly, though all this information did seem a little crazy. Then again, after the last two days, maybe she should start trying to get used to crazy.

"I told him everything I could," Gabumon answered for him. "Each DigiDestined was assigned a Digimon partner. But early on, our DigiEggs were scattered across the globe. Some of the others might be captives, too, but I was free, wandering the forest. Until one day I could sense this… presence. And it led me to Matt!"

Matt gave his partner another of those gentle smiles that clashed with the way Sora had originally sized him up. "The connection is a little hard to explain, but you'll know. The bond between you and your partner is… amazing."

"If you say so," she said, a little skeptical. "All this history is great, but how is it going to help us get home?"

Matt faltered, and Sora felt her heart sink. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure… But the first step is uniting everyone with their Digimon partners."

"Okay, and what are we doing to accomplish that?"

"Gabumon is reaching out to his Digimon friends—ones he knows haven't been corrupted. As soon as anyone's heard anything, we'll know. But we can't leave the camp, so I've been trying to find a way to free Joe and Mimi. But I think we'll need to get the crests away from Gennai first. If we don't, he'll just track them down and control them like he's done with Tai."

Sora blinked. "How many crests are there? I've only seen one."

"There are eight of them. One for each of us," Matt explained. "The crests are supposed to represent our strongest personal trait, but Gennai has warped their power. Instead of empowering us, they practically cripple us. We essentially lose our ability to fight back. If we can get the crests, we might be able to convince the other kids to form some kind of resistance. Without the power of the crests, he'll just be one old man against all of us. And once we're free, we can focus on finding a way home."

Sora sighed. Matt didn't have nearly as much of a plan as she'd hoped. There were still a lot of ifs and maybes. Frankly, it all sounded a little impossible.

"Hey, Matt," she said suddenly. "How did Gennai manage to get everyone here in the first place?"

Matt clenched his jaw. He glanced upwards and stared at the stars for a moment. At last, he stood and told Gabumon, "We need to start heading back before someone wakes up or Gennai comes around to check on us and realizes we're missing. I'll come back soon, though, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see what I can do about finding the other partners." But he just stood there, looking worried and reluctant to leave. Finally, he exclaimed, "Oh, Matt! I hate leaving you here! I'm your Digimon. It's supposed to be my job to protect you."

"Hey." Matt knelt down so they could look each other in the eye. "We've been over this before, Gabumon. I'll be fine. I've made it this far, right?"

"Just be careful." There was still that sorrowful look in his eyes.

"I will. Don't worry so much." They embraced one last time, and Sora felt a smile tugging at her lips. Maybe Matt's talk about bonds wasn't so far-fetched.

After Gabumon had disappeared back into the wild underbrush, Matt turned to her and said, "Come on. I'll tell you the rest on the way back."

Once they, too, had been swallowed by trees, Sora repeated, "So? How _did_ Gennai get you and TK?"

Matt didn't answer her directly. "Gennai… excels at preying on weakness. He found something that made us vulnerable and either threatened or convinced us—whichever you want to call it—that going with him was our best option."

Sora took a moment to process that. "Like Tai's protectiveness of Kari. She didn't really remember that night, but she did say he looked scared. Gennai must have threatened to hurt his sister if Tai didn't comply with everything he wanted."

Matt considered this, watching her carefully. "I never found out what happened with Tai, but if that's true, you're probably right. But… I wouldn't bring all this up with the others unless you have to. I'm not sure who can be trusted… And I don't want TK to worry… I don't want to tell him what's really going on until I've got the situation a little more under control."

Matt's distance to the other kids was starting to make a lot more sense. He did care, but he kept his emotions hidden. There was just one thing that wasn't falling into place.

"I'd never do anything to put your brother in danger," she assured him, and she meant it. "But… _Tai_ was the one who got me. And he didn't threaten me or anything. I wasn't even sure what was happening. He just held out his hand, and as soon as I touched it, we were gone."

"Yeah. I think by the time he found you, Gennai was strong enough not to need any elaborate story. He didn't even need to be there himself. Your crest was enough."

"Hmm." It didn't go over her head that Matt had not revealed the tact Gennai had used to lure _him_ to this world. She wondered if he'd been in a similar situation as Tai. Had Gennai put TK's safety on the line?

They had already arrived back at the boys' cabin so she didn't get a chance to pester him further, but she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. She felt bad about her original assessment of Matt. He was in a difficult position, trying to rescue all the other kids and look after his little brother. And up until now, he'd been carrying that burden singlehandedly. She wasn't sure yet what exactly forming a "resistance" would entail, but she wanted to help Matt, if she could.

Sora left him to sneak back into his cabin and quietly slipped back into hers. Kari was still asleep. She thought she'd have too much to think about to fall asleep right away, but it had been a long night, and her exhaustion won out.

**…**

Morning came too soon. Sora felt as if her eyes had only been closed for seconds when the kids' wake-up call blasted into their cabin.

No early morning or rude awakening could get to Kari, though. The first thing the younger girl did after sitting up was turn to Sora with a big grin. "Good morning, Sora!"

"Hey, Kari," she greeted around a yawn.

The two got dressed and joined everyone else for breakfast. Sora noted that Matt had gone back to ignoring her. He wouldn't meet her eye, and she followed his lead. Once again, however, she couldn't look away from Tai.

He was sitting with Kari and Izzy on the other side of the table and looked like any other boy hanging out with his kid sister and best friend. They talked and laughed and ate, and though Izzy always looked a little faraway, he hadn't even brought his laptop to the table with him this morning.

She didn't think Tai noticed her watching him. (She tried to watch the other kids equally so as not to attract attention, but this was hardly a problem as all the other kids seemed to gravitate towards him.) Seeing him act like just another kid reminded her of something Gabumon had said the night before—that Tai was a victim too. She felt kind of bad for the animosity that had risen up for him after the first night when she'd realized she was trapped in this world. Sora kind of wished she could join in their fun, but as long as Gennai had the crests, Tai was too unpredictable.

She had to wonder, though. Matt had said that each of the other kids had been lured here when Gennai had preyed on some vulnerability they'd had. She stared at Tai. Had Matt been right—were the crests just too strong for anyone to resist by the time he'd gotten around to her? Or had Tai brought out some vulnerable aspect in her that she wasn't even aware of?

It was unsettling. Her memory of that night was already fuzzy. Everything had happened so quickly…

She looked up when Tai stood abruptly. Dread crept into her stomach when she noticed that his eyes had glazed over. She's seen that enough times to know what it meant by now.

Kari looked up at her brother, worried. She tugged on his arm. "Tai? What's wrong?"

Not a minute later, Gennai walked into the dining pavilion. She glanced at Matt long enough to see his hand clench into a fist on the table, but then the old man addressed them.

"Good morning, my friends." Tai slowly sat back down, though he still didn't look quite right. "I'm here to announce a celebration for tonight. Things have been so busy around here lately, we haven't been able to give a proper welcome to the newest member of our family."

Though Kari was still focused on her brother, TK beamed. "Sounds fun! Maybe we can make s'mores again!"

Across the table, Matt and Sora exchanged a look. The other kids looked excited, but neither one of them liked where this was going.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you **_Angelfish369_** and **_TottWriter_** for reviewing chapter five! This chapter is really one of those in-between, set up a plot point rather than actually advance the plot sort of chapters, but I'm really looking forward to writing the next one.**

**Chapter Six: Immunity**

Gennai didn't stay very long, as Sora had realized was the norm. She was starting to get a better handle on his game. The old man kept his distance, remained as shrouded in mystery as possible. She'd seen the same game played by historical figures in her textbooks. The power he had over them- whether they realized it or not- added to that mystery… In time, Gennai would become almost god-like.

But for now, everything had relaxed back into their playful banter. The meal continued as if it had never been interrupted.

**…**

But Gennai's appearance had left Sora with more than a few misgivings about the recent plans she'd made with Matt. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence, could it?

She risked meeting his eyes again once Gennai was gone and saw the same trepidation there. Was this a warning? Did Gennai know they were up to something?

"Well, that's exciting, isn't it?" The words came from Kari, but the girl was missing her usual cheerfulness. It sounded worrisomely like she was looking for reassurance. She glanced at her brother, who was sitting down again but still looked a bit off.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fun." Sora knew it was a half-hearted reply, but Kari seemed at least a little placated. The older girl couldn't resist taking one last look around the table at her companions. TK was struggling to have a real conversation with his brother. Izzy was more immersed in his laptop than ever. (She realized upon second glance that he'd had it on his lap underneath the table the whole time.) Tai looked as if all the life had been sucked out of him. Even bright, optimistic Kari seemed faded and worn. Were she and Matt really the only ones who could see what Gennai was doing to them all?

**…**

The day passed largely without incident. It worried Sora how easily it would be to just get caught up in the monotony of it all. Somehow, she'd fallen into a world where her responsibilities were simple, and all of her serious decisions had disappeared. Frankly, she could see the appeal to just fading into this world permanently, and that scared her most of all.

But then she thought of her mother. Her mother, who was constantly stressed and overworked and already struggling with the absence of her husband. Her mother, who she had left all alone. The thought physically pained her.

She couldn't overlook that, easy as this life may be, she was still a prisoner here. She had to get home.

Throughout the day, Sora had done her best to observe the other children, searching for some glimmer of rebellion or dissatisfaction. Some proof that the others could be persuaded to rise up against their current situation.

Every move Matt made was colored by quiet defiance, but she wasn't sure there was much hope for the others. In stark contrast to his brother, everything TK did just reinforced how much the younger boy truly enjoyed life here. And Kari may have been struggling at the moment, but Sora knew she believed in this artificial happiness and freedom also. Izzy was the hardest to read. Honestly, his computer seemed to have more of a hold on him than Gennai did. Multiple times throughout the day, she caught the boy shunning his 'camp' duties and sneaking away to stare at his laptop screen. Sora was itching to know what he was always working on, but she had enough on her plate already. And Tai, of course, was the wild card. She still found herself unable to pinpoint who, exactly, he was when Gennai wasn't around.

All in all, Sora hoped Matt had a backup plan.

She wasn't sure what to expect as she made her way back to the dining pavilion for their celebration that night. The sky had just begun to darken, and the tiki torches that had been added to the perimeter gave the setting that was usually so friendly and eerie air.

Everyone else had already arrived, but they were all speaking in hushed tones. So it wasn't just Sora. They all felt something strange about this night. She hadn't thought anything could quiet TK.

"Welcome, Sora."

Her head snapped up. She'd been so focused on taking everything else in that she'd somehow missed Gennai, standing in the middle of it all. Slowly, she sat down beside Kari, taking what had become her place.

"Things were quite busy when you arrived," Gennai continued. "I'm afraid we didn't have time to give you the proper welcome you deserved."

Tai raised his glass to scattered cheers, made a bit funny by how few of them there were. Sora looked down, trying to appear humble and appreciative despite her growing animosity towards Gennai. She couldn't help the genuine smile that crept across her face, though. Whatever else was going on here, she _did _feel welcome.

"Sora." She tried not to shudder as the old man's voice took on a paternal tone. "I'm not sure you can truly understand what your presence here has done for us all. This world is a gem. Overlooked and underappreciated by most, but untainted. This world has become a haven to many."

This was met by scattered nods. Matt, however, was staring resolutely at the table before them, refusing to meet anyone's eye. Sora couldn't help thinking back to the talk they'd had about vulnerabilities and how they'd all been lured here by them.

"But," he continued, "the barrier between worlds is a fragile one. Without the mental and spiritual energies collected from each of you every day, this world would fall apart and disappear. And now that you're here, Sora, our group is complete. You children really are more special than you can likely comprehend. You keep this world balanced."

Sora had to wonder… Was she being overly critical, losing her objectivity? She'd never been quick to view anyone as inherently evil, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to give Gennai any leniency. Was she jumping to conclusions?

"But enough of this old man's blabbering," he concluded with a little self-deprecating chuckle. "A glorious occasion has come about, and we should give it a proper celebration."

There was a sudden stillness as the torches were simultaneously extinguished. She could practically hear everyone, herself included, holding their breath.

Suddenly, new flames shot up all around the outside of the dining pavilion, leaving the tiki torches untouched. Sora heard gasps all around the table, and she was initially startled as well, but she focused outside, searching for the source of the flames.

At last, she spotted about a dozen squat little dinosaurs ringing the pavilion. They were breathing the fire. She realized they must be more Digimon, and the act probably wasn't so strange here. Sora pushed through the surprise and made out more of the creatures. Their heads were large and blockish, practically dwarfing their bodies. At first, she thought their orange coloring was a reflection of the flames, but quickly saw that the color didn't fade during the brief moments of darkness when they paused to take a breath.

She heard a gasp beside her and turned to see that Kari was also staring out at the Digimon, but the little girl looked horrified, and tears were slowly making their way down her face. Sora turned back to see what had upset her and finally spotted the chains encircling the dinosaurs' torsos, anchoring them to the ground.

"Those poor Agumon…" she murmured.

"That's awful," Sora breathed in agreement. "Why are they shackled like that?"

"Huh?" On her other side, they'd caught TK's attention. Izzy looked up from the food as well, but Matt continued to glare down at the table. He'd seen them before. Tai, however, seemed oblivious.

Gennai moved to stand behind them so quickly that Sora was immediately uneasy. He made sure to answer her question before anyone else could offer up their opinion on the matter.

"You've had the privilege of only meeting friendly Digimon thus far. I've made sure to make this camp as safe a place as possible. Which is why it is imperative that you all stay within the boundaries of the campground."

Was that it? She couldn't help but wonder. Had that been his silent warning to Matt and herself? That he knew they were up to something?

"Some of the Digimon outside," Gennai continued, "are truly feral."

"Oh… That's too bad." TK's eyes had glazed over. Izzy, too, seemed placated, and Tai hadn't looked bothered to begin with. Sora felt that now-familiar numbing sensation in her mind. She recognized this trick by now and tried her hardest to fight it off. Was it getting easier to resist with each time she encountered this strange power, or was that just positive thinking? But there _was _a certain… clarity to her thinking this time around that couldn't be a trick of her imagination.

Sora glanced across the table to see that Matt's knuckles had whitened, clenched into fists on the table. Clearly, she wasn't the only one fighting it. She just hoped Gennai wasn't watching anyone too closely.

Sora turned to see if Kari had been reassured only to find the younger girl… totally unaffected. The worry and pity in Kari's eyes hadn't weakened in the least, her tears continuing to spill over.

"They can't be all bad," she protested quietly. "There has to be a better way."

Izzy turned back to her dazedly, and Sora was reminded of a pinball caught between two forces. Gennai's frown deepened briefly before he stepped in again and said gently to Kari, "I know it seems harsh, child. But it is a necessary precaution. I must do all I can to keep this place safe. You have every right to expect security in your home, wouldn't you agree?"

Somehow, Gennai managed to manipulate people without sounding the least bit menacing. But if anything, his paternal tone was worse. It made them want to agree… lest they risk disappointing him.

"You're right…" Kari's acquiescence was still on a somber note, but it was enough to appease Gennai. The old man turned and left their table in peace. A band of Floramon came forward and set serving trays filled with food down before them, commencing the feast.

Sora didn't have much of an appetite, but everyone else seemed to have gone back to normal, and she tried not to call attention to herself in any way.

However, she couldn't help but notice that Kari never fully recovered. The remainder of the night was a very cheerful affair- delicious food, cozy atmosphere- but Kari's eyes remained downcast. Occasionally, she would see Gennai glance their way with a frown, and an idea slowly started to dawn on her…

Sora found her own eyes repeatedly drawn to Matt, looking for some telepathic way to get his attention, but the boy didn't look up once throughout their entire meal. She wanted a second, better-informed opinion… but she was already coming to a conclusion on her own. Whatever power it was that Gennai had over them, it didn't have any effect on Kari.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Everything's been on a sort of hiatus that I wouldn't really admit to while school and work took over my life… But I've got a month off (of school, at least) before the next semester starts, and I hope to get a few updates in at least. **

**Chapter Seven: Jailbreak**

Had they been celebrating anything else, it would have been a fun night—a night to remember. Once dinner was over, the six children trouped over to the field where they usually held their campfires.

That night there was a larger fire blazing than Sora had ever seen. A few logs had been set up before the flames to create a row of benches for the children. As they took their seats, a pair of Armadillomon stepped up to flank either side of the fire. They were decked out in colorful capes and headbands, holding equally colorful flags. They held the flags aloft, as if signaling a race, and then the Floramon servers reappeared, taking their place in front of the flames.

Sora hated to admit it, but she really was having a good time, laughing and clapping along with the others as they watched the Floramon dance. Kari seemed to be enjoying herself too, and even Matt was sporting that softened look that she'd only seen on him a handful of times.

During his little speech, Gennai had described this world as 'untainted'. At the time, she'd found this ironic, given the way Gennai was manipulating them all. But the old man's actions didn't have to reflect on the world itself. Or so she wanted to believe, anyway.

Gennai had been right about one thing. She'd only met Digimon who were friendly and welcoming. If the Floramon were performing under duress, it didn't show.

In fact, she was enjoying herself so much, she almost missed the sharp turn of Matt's head. She tried to follow his gaze as subtly as possible. After a moment of stillness, she spotted something glinting brightly in the bushes. A signal of some sort?

The Floramon ended their dance to the clamor of applause, but it didn't take close observation to see that Matt was distracted. He stood abruptly when the Digimon cleared out to make room for the next act. Sora didn't see Gennai until he was already an imposing presence standing at Matt's shoulder.

"Is there a problem?"

Matt's expression hardened. His answer was stiff and unconvincing. "I'm going to go lie down. I've been kind of nauseous since dinner."

"That's too bad." If Gennai was feigning sympathy, Sora didn't see it. His tone was one of pure suspicion. "But surely it is not so bad that you can't make it through the rest of our celebration. I'm sure your friends would be disappointed to see you go."

Sora saw Matt stiffen further and felt a pang of sympathy for him herself. She saw no way out of this lie. Gennai had pulled the disappointment card. And if Matt wanted to keep up his façade—that he still believed in this great big happy family Gennai had built for them—he would have no choice but to obey.

Sure enough, Matt slowly reclaimed his seat, and TK scooted a little closer. It was almost comical when TK brought his small hand up to rub his brother's back.

"You're not feelin' good?" the younger boy asked.

"I'm fine, TK," she heard him murmur, his eyes locked on Gennai as the old man eased off.

Sora didn't miss the way Gennai chose to stand behind her next. She wanted so badly to glance over at the bushes or make eye contact with Matt, but she resisted the urge. Tonight had left her without a doubt—Gennai was suspicious of them both.

**…**

Their night had concluded—quite lately—with a spectacular fireworks show. Of course, the lateness of their celebration had no effect on their morning routine. Regardless of what act he played, Gennai wasn't one for leniency.

The trumpet's call blasted into their cabins bright and early. And yet… Sora found herself oddly relieved at the routine. By the time the fireworks had been launched into the sky, all the fun had gone out of the night. The celebration had been little more than a veiled threat.

She was glad to see that Kari was, more or less, back to normal. If she hadn't been looking for it, she wouldn't have noticed the hints of gloom that still lingered. Throughout the morning, Kari would pause. She would stop whatever she was doing and ponder some internal conflict, troubled. Each time, she would notice Sora watching her after a while and shoot her a reassuring, though unconvincing, smile and return to their chores.

Gennai was absent all morning. He could have left the camp altogether and Sora wouldn't have known the difference. It made her wonder about their wake-up call… How much did the old man actually supervise? How many Digimon did he have working behind the scenes?

It wasn't until they were cleaning up lunch that Sora got her first hint at what had gone on the night before. Matt sidled up to her, his movement lost in the ordinary chaos of dishes being cleared away and leftovers being packed up. They continued their work side by side.

No one paid them any attention as he whispered in her ear, "Meet me tonight at the jail."

Matt moved to take his pile of dishes away, but she quickly followed him with her own stack, hissing back, "Tonight?"

He shot her a look, clearly annoyed that she hadn't left it at that. He glanced around, making sure they still weren't being watched, and answered, "Yeah. Gabumon signaled me last night, so everything's in place. Just… meet me there, okay?"

She let him go this time—a sign of acquiescence—but she couldn't help but feel that they were pushing it. Matt had to know Gennai was on to them. Where had all his precaution gone?

This was a bad idea… But she wasn't backing out now. She was too far into this. And Matt knew that.

**…**

Gennai did not reappear, but Tai was soon missing from their group. The old man could become a hermit, never leaving his house, and he would still have almost total control over them. It wasn't a comforting thought.

But it certainly made it a lot easier to quash her apprehension and sneaking out again.

As soon as she was certain that Kari was asleep, Sora slipped out of bed. She didn't bother checking up on the boys' cabin this time. She could find her own way, and she trusted Matt to be discreet.

She'd been in a crest-induced stupor the first time she'd made this journey, but the forest opened up just as she remembered. Of course, this time she was of a much better mindset to survey the landscape. She stood at the crest of the steep hill she and Tai had slid down to reach the jail. This time she spotted something that made her heart drop. As well as being down an embankment, the building was backed up against an even taller cliff. How had Gennai even found this place, she wondered? It was like a cleverly tucked-away battle fort. Any plan they made was starting to look a lot more difficult.

Suddenly, she was yanked back into the trees, a hand covering her mouth to stifle her scream.

"Shhh!" She jerked away and glared at him when she realized it was just Matt and she wasn't being dragged away to be murdered.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He had beaten her to the punch, and he looked just as exasperated. "Standing out in the open like that… Are you trying to get us caught before we even start?"

"Uh, Matt?" She looked behind him to see Gabumon standing there awkwardly, clearly discomforted by the tension.

The boy took a step back, running a hand through his hair and exhaling slowly. "Right. Let's just do this."

"What exactly _are_ we doing?"

His expression was solemn, gravely serious. "We're breaking Mimi and Joe out tonight. That's going to be Gabumon's job. You and I are going to be the decoys."

"Wait a minute," Sora interrupted. "What happened to getting the crests away from Gennai first?"

The first hints of frustration and worry slipped through Matt's determination. "We're just going to have to take our chances. You saw Mimi. I'm not sure how much longer their morale can hold out. We're just going to have to hope they'll be far enough away that Gennai's power won't have any effect."

"But where will they go?"

"There's a friend waiting down on the beach. He'll keep them safe. But never mind that; I'll explain it all later. We have to get going before the Gazimon start their patrols. Are you ready?"

As usual, his answers had left her with a million more questions, but she nodded. They were on a tight schedule.

Matt and Gabumon exchanged one last loaded look before nodding. They led her around the other side of the hill and the three made their way down as carefully as possible. The children crouched in the shadows of the building, trying to make themselves smaller, as Gabumon darted inside.

Sora watched the blond boy intently. Matt was always a little intense, but now she took special notice of his clenched jaw and white knuckles. He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned to look back at her. Matt held her gaze for a moment before finally saying, "Wait for my signal. And then we run."

**…**

"This is it, Mimi," Joe said as he heard the outer lock give. "We're getting out of here."

She looked up, and there was still and air of defeat in her eyes, but the girl stood to join him. Joe could feel his limbs shaking, his chest tight and his hands clammy. The older boy swallowed, steeling himself. He'd never been the adventurous type, but it was time to pull himself together, he told himself firmly. He had to be strong, for Mimi's sake, if not his own.

The door to the jail opened slowly, and a Digimon stepped in. It was time.

"Gabumon?" Joe questioned tentatively.

"That's me. It's a pleasure to meet you both, but we don't have much time. Stand back, please."

They both backed up hurriedly as Gabumon drew in a breath. They watched as an electric-blue flame heated up in the back of his throat. Quick as they could blink, the flame shot forward and blasted the padlock off of Joe's cell. An instant later, Mimi's clanged to the ground too.

"Quick!" Gabumon urged them as their cell doors creaked open. They followed him to the shower area where Matt had already loosened the large grate in the floor. The Digimon pried it up and motioned for them to drop down. "Just follow the current. And good luck!"

**…**

Sora jumped a little when she heard the harsh sound of metal on cement, and Matt tensed further. "Wait for it," he whispered, and she had to wonder if he was preparing himself as much as her.

They didn't have to wait long. A second later "What was that?!" echoed out over the jail. Sora just spotted the wave of Gazimon guards charging down the hill when Matt took off.

Sora rushed after him, frantically pumping all the muscles she'd gained over the years of competitive soccer and keeping up easily. Their toughest challenge was upon them immediately—making it back up the hill without losing too much of their head start.

She heard "The prisoners are escaping!" and had to smile as she finally grasped Matt's plan. While the Gazimon were chasing the two of them, Joe and Mimi would have plenty of time to get away.

She felt a rush of adrenaline as they pushed themselves over the crest of the hill, the Gazimon hot on their trail. The two continued running deeper into the woods.

They'd managed to lose their pursuers for just a moment when Matt suddenly stopped. He jerked a thumb towards the sky and she caught on immediately. The children began scaling the nearest trees as quickly as possible, hiding amongst the higher branches as the herd of Gazimon crashed into view. It was possible that the Digimon wouldn't have spotted them in the dark even if they had thought to look up. As it was, the children's escape was already guaranteed. Their pursuers only remained in the area for a moment before splitting up to search in all directions.

Matt and Sora remained where they were long after the Gazimon had gone, catching their breath. At last, when the night was quiet and still once more, the two slowly made their way down.

**...**

Once Joe's fingers slipped, his fall was quick and graceless. He'd already landed with a splash before he even had time to scream. Mimi plummeted down to join him a second later, and Joe suspected it may have been the result of a push from Gabumon rather than a sudden spurt of courage on her part.

Gabumon's only advice to them had been to follow the current, which wasn't proving to be a difficult task. Somehow, the water had risen to the point where neither could touch the bottom, and said current was effortlessly washing them away down the tunnel. Joe had never been a strong swimmer, and Mimi didn't appear to be faring much better. He wanted to give her some sort of encouragement… but frankly, he was struggling just to stay above water himself.

He was just starting to think that this had been a bad idea, that Gabumon had lured them to their deaths, when the tunnel ended abruptly and the two were thrust out into open air.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas! **

**Okay, technically this is a day late, but what can I say… I was busy yesterday.**

**Thank you **_Angelfish369_** and **_TottWriter_** for reviewing chapter seven!**

**Chapter Eight: Freedom**

This time, two shrill screams pierced the air as Mimi and Joe shot past the edge of the cliff. All stealth was abandoned as their minds gave way to terror.

Joe was unable to suck in another breath during their freefall, but Mimi had yet to run out of oxygen. He was vaguely aware of the bizarre sensation of falling _beside_ a waterfall. But before he could form another thought, the two landed with a muted, oddly fleshy splash.

Joe finally gasped in a breath and tried to sit up. They were still being carried downstream, but unless he was seriously disoriented from their fall, they seemed to be traveling _above _the water.

He heard a squeal from Mimi about a foot away and became aware that the mass they were moving along on was not entirely solid. Joe sucked in a shriek of his own as he finally made out the bed of fish underneath them in the darkness.

"Ick!" Mimi appeared to be attempting levitation, only touching the fish beneath them as much as absolutely necessary. Joe was fighting down queasiness himself. He never had been a fan of seafood. And he was pretty sure he was allergic to shellfish.

He had just gotten the first whiff of salt when the school of fish began to disperse underneath them, leaving the children to slowly sink into the sea. And then, all at once, they were left to keep themselves afloat. The two bobbed in the waves for a minute before finally starting to make their way to the beach.

Once the waves had spit them out onto the sand, Joe and Mimi just laid there, catching their breath, staring up at the stars.

"Well, what're ya just laying around for?" A loud voice cut through their moment of peace. Joe shot up and spun around to come face to face with one of the most grotesque-looking Digimon he'd ever seen.

The… thing was oddly proportioned all over. It was covered in white fur with purple markings and tufts of bright orange sprouting from the top of its head. Its ears and tail were bent at angles, and its front paws were at least twice the size of its back ones, each sporting three long, black claws.

It was only once Mimi had sat up to stare too that the Digimon spoke again, seeming inappropriately upbeat. "I'm Gomamon. Now let's go!"

The children slowly stood to follow him. This was starting to seem like a very long night.

**…**

Matt and Sora slowly picked their way back through the woods, wary of every snapped branch, every misplaced footstep. When they finally caught sight of the end, they each breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived.

The two jumped at the sound of a throat being cleared. Gennai slipped out of the shadows, looking displeased and as imposing as ever.

"Evening, children. I see the two of you have had quite an interesting night."

Sora held her breath. She felt Matt stiffen beside her. This was it. They were caught.

The sensation of having nothing to lose can do crazy things to a person's mind.

"Would you just drop that civil tone already?" Matt spat suddenly. "You might as well just treat us like what we are. Your slaves."

Sora watched apprehensively as anger transformed the boy's features. The situation was escalating by degrees. Frankly, she was torn as to whether she should join him or try to restrain him. She'd known they would have to fight back eventually, but she'd expected it to be a little more… organized. The way things were going, they wouldn't be able to pull back and recover. This little conflict could change everything.

"Matt…" She raised a hand, but he was already taking a threatening step forward, and the second he did, he was tackled to the ground.

"Oh! Matt!" She hadn't seen Tai, lurking in the shadows off to their left. Now the two boys wrestled on the ground while Gennai stood over them coldly. Matt got the upper hand for just a second, but in that second, she was able to see the blank expression on his face. She'd never seen anyone's eyes look so dead. Tai looked like he should have been a statue, but Matt was struggling to fight him off.

She stepped forward to break it up, help him, she wasn't sure which, when she was forced to the ground herself. Gennai had reorganized the Gazimon and hidden them strategically. Now they popped out. The ones that weren't preoccupied with her ran over to help Tai hold Matt down.

He continued to struggle, even outnumbered, but by this point, it was futile.

**…**

Matt landed beside her with a grunt on the cold cement floor. A door slammed shut above them, and they were left in darkness. They weren't tied up or restrained in any way, but it was clear enough, once their eyes adjusted, that they didn't need to be.

They were in a sorry state. Sora could feel the scrapes and scratches the Gazimon had left, and she'd landed hard on her left shoulder. She could see a bruise blossoming on Matt's right cheekbone. And she was sure they were both sporting injuries they weren't even aware of yet.

They were surrounded by high concrete walls in some sort of basement dungeon. There would be no one sneaking through the forest to break them out. She could spot some rickety wooden steps off in the corner, presumably the ones leading up to the door they'd been thrown through.

She took a deep breath, waiting for some sort of reassurance, either from Matt or herself. But the boy beside her was stiff and silent, leaving her alone with the darkness.

**…**

"How much farther?" Mimi moaned, lifting her head to try and gauge the distance herself.

The two were making the climb up from the beach. The air was unpleasantly cool. Their clothes were stiff and crusty with sand.

"We're almost there," Gomamon said, turning to look back. This leg of their journey had been all uphill, but the loud little creature didn't seem to be lacking for energy at all.

Not having much of a choice, the two trudged along after him. By the time they reached the top, Joe was too tired even to complain. But the sky had been lightening all through their climb, and now they were able to see the sunrise, unhindered by prison bars. The sight was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

They'd done it. They were free.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Digimon.**


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